about us

our story

So much more than soap.

Indigenous owned and operated, The Yukon Soaps Company creates beautiful, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, essential oil blends, and more.

Featuring wild rose petals, juniper berries, a Yukon-shaped press, and the beadwork of Indigenous artisans, these soaps are literally infused and imprinted with the spirit of the Yukon.

Along with handcrafting soaps, Joella has worked to make Yukon Soaps a community-building, language-learning, earth-connecting hub in the heart of the Yukon—the small town of Mayo.

When she took on the company, Joella was looking for a way to connect people to culture and to land. And she has done just that—from getting Elders and local children out on the land to gather wild botanicals, to employing youth in her workshop, to offering natural product workshops, and participating in farmer’s markets across the Yukon. The Yukon Soaps Company elevates and nurtures Northern Indigenous cultures.

For over ten years, The Yukon Soaps Company has been supporting economic diversification, authentic relationships with customers, and bringing life to the heart of the Yukon.

The Yukon Soaps Company has become a household staple and souvenir of choice for visitors—take a little bit of the Yukon home with you.

our mission

Our mission is to empower, nurture and elevate Northern Indigenous cultures, community and people.

We invest in our community by hiring local, passionate people and honouring deep ancestral knowledge passed down to us from our Elders. Our team is encouraged to uphold the four Northern Tutchone values of Caring, Sharing, Teaching and Respect. In doing so, we hope to create a positive transformation for the community, economy and environment in Mayo.

meet joella hogan

owner, the yukon soaps co.

Loving life in the heart of the Yukon

I come from a long line of strong, vibrant, Indigenous women. My matriarchs are teachers, healers, bush women, social advocates, and cultural leaders. They’ve taught me how to make things happen. Through my line of hand-crafted soaps, I work to share the talent of my family and community.

When I moved to Mayo to live on my traditional territory, I envisioned reconnecting with my community, Elders, land, and language.

Happily, I’ve been able to do all of that through The Yukon Soaps Company - from using local plants in my formulations, employing community, sharing Indigenous beadwork and plant knowledge, and sprinkling in Northern Tutchone language wherever I can.

It was when I came home to find local children had left baskets full of wild rose petals for my soaps that I knew I had made the right choice.

I am also a professional heritage worker, who continues to bring Northern Tutchone culture and heritage to the forefront of life in the central Yukon. As an active advocate for my First Nation and a dedicated community builder, I stay busy with the Stewart Valley Farmer's market, yoga, advocacy work, and kick sledding around beautiful Mayo, Yukon. I am an Indigenous, Northern, community advocate, having worked on oral history, academics, and projects, all with the over-arching goal of empowering northern peoples and engaging with our lands.